Bayelsa Oil Community At War With Shell Over Abandoned Bridge Project

A cold war is now raging between the Akenfa-Epie community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC over an abandoned bridge project.

The community is not happy that the Akenfa Link Bridge project  initiated by the SPDC in 2005 has been abandoned. This is more worrisome for the community because Shell has been operating and doing oil prospecting business in that community for the past 45 years.

In a letter addressed to the managing director of Shell and signed by the paramount ruler, HRH Obadiah John Osomu and the CDC Chairman, Ofiemuya Joram and five others, the community expressed disappointment in the oil giants and said they were ready to take stringent actions that would compel the company to listen to their cry.

The letter reads in part: “It is unconscionable that a project initiated by SPDC in 2005 has remained abandoned for over two decades, despite the unwavering cooperation and goodwill of Akenfa-Epie Community. For over 45 years, SPDC has operated as a tenant with Akenfa-Epie community, extracting immense wealth from our land but failing to reciprocate the peace, hospitality and support extended to them by the people.

“We note with great concern, that despite numerous correspondences to SPDC, the Niger Delta Development commission (NDDC) and the Governments, there has been no tangible response or redress. This continued neglect has reinforced the perception that SPDC, alongside with Governments and NDDC, hold the host community in contempt, treating our demands with utter disregard and tossing community to and fro with bureaucratic inertia and empty promises.

“The consequences of this dereliction have been dire. The abandonment of the Akenfa Link Bridge has directly resulted in significant loss of lives and property. Specifically, 12 lives lost in 2012, with an additional two lives lost in 2019, all attributable to the hazards posed by the abandoned project. The community has, until now refrained from escalating its grievances, relying in good faith of SPDC’s repeated assurances of commitment to the project’s completion. However, after two decades of unfulfilled promises, our patience is exhausted.”

The community urged Shell to “immediately engage critical stakeholders within the community to discuss the way forward regarding the completion of the Akenfa-Epie link bridge” and that “the Akenfa link Bridge be re-awarded for the completion and the contractor mobilized to site within seven days” from the day of receipt of their letter.

They added that “failure to comply with the above demands within the stipulated period will leave the community with no alternative but to take decisive action. At the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum, men, women, youths and children of Akenfa-Epie community will stage massive protests at the SPDC facilities within the community to halt all oil and gas exploration and production activities.

“This course of action will be carried out without further recourse to the company activities. We view this as a last resort, following the years of productive engagements with SPDC, Governments and NDDC should this matter escalate, SPDC will bear full responsibility for any resulting loss or disruption.

“Additionally, it is pertinent to remind SPDC that it has persistently violated several environmental laws and breaches of the petroleum industry Act, resulting in severe ecological degradation within our community. We have chosen not to escalade these breaches in reliance on SPDC’s promises of critical developmental projects, particularly the completion of the said bridge.”

Last week, TNN reached Shell’s public affairs personnel for comments on the issue. The staff who responded to our enquiries asked for time to be able to get proper information on the issue. Twice after the first contact, the staff said he was unable to answer the questions because he could not get the appropriate answers.

When TNN reached the staff on Tuesday again, he did not respond to the messages, even up till Wednesday when this report was being written.